电影讲述的是一个不相信鬼的人埃米尔和他最好的朋友蒂蒂，以及他的已故妻子斯马兰达的故事。斯马兰达此时已入土安葬，准备迎接上帝审判日的到来。在妻子为期40天的追悼仪式结束后，埃米尔慢慢发现，蒂蒂总是表现出自己剩下的日子屈指可数。他想让蒂蒂振作起来，却无济于事。其实在追悼仪式结束后不久，斯马兰达来到了蒂蒂家里，开始缠着他。为什么会这样呢？这是一个离奇的故事，但蒂蒂却一言难尽。

一个小城的电视台在圣诞节前夕，也是革命纪念日当天准备录制一档关于城市革命记忆的节目。故事从清晨开始，电视台台长正为录制节目而做着准备。其中一位嘉宾玛尼斯古是一位历史老师，刚从宿醉中醒来，随即开始四处借钱补贴薪水，为此他还向昨夜喝醉后辱骂过的华人道歉。另一位嘉宾皮斯科斯，退休后独自生活，邻居来邀请他扮演圣诞老人，他欣然应允。按照约好的时间，节目录制开始了。玛斯尼古讲述了当年罗马尼亚革命日他们的革命事迹，此时却有不少观众打来电话驳斥他的观点并说他在撒谎。现场的争论气氛立马活跃了起来。在这小电视台讨论的大革命的问题究竟会有怎样的结论呢？

This Romanian dramatic comedy offers metaphorical commentary on life after Ceausescu's reign as it tells the story of a rural community turned topsy-turvy in their mad quest for the snails a prominent senator has requested for his dinner. The trouble begins when a rather imposing, pompous senator comes to visit a small rural Romanian town for a ribbon-cutting ceremony for their new hydro-electric dam. After he finishes his speech, the senator is accosted by a Swiss film crew eager to interview him. The senator is inordinately concerned with presenting a positive image of Romania to the world at large and so when he learns that he and the journalists are to stay at the same villa, does everything he came to make sure that they see nothing scandalous.